The present invention relates to disposable suction catheters, and more particularly to disposable suction catheters for use during many medical or dental procedures, such as endoscopy and bronchoscopy. The present invention also relates to a system for providing multiple suctioning capabilities from a single suction source during medical procedures or the like.
Ordinarily, upper gastrointestinal endoscopy is carried out with the patient lightly sedated. The patient is usually in the left lateral decubitus position with the head resting on a form of support, usually a pillow. During the course of the endoscopic procedure, the oral cavity must be kept free of secretions while the patient's cough and gag reflexes are depressed in order to prevent aspiration with resultant hypoxia and its complications. Therefore, it is often necessary for the nurse or physician to provide suctioning to both the endoscopic instrument and the patient's oral cavity. Usually, two separate suctioning devices or outlets are required to accomplish these tasks. This is quite cumbersome in those circumstances where one suction source would be sufficient, such as with endoscopically conducted X-ray examinations of the bile and pancreatic ducts, or slim scope endoscopy of the unobstructed, "well" patient. Further, the necessity for two suction units in the room at once causes delay in transporting suction equipment, causes crowding in the examination room, and generates excessive noise from having two separate suction units in the room at one time. These inconveniences can become critical under emergency conditions, particularly in crowded emergency rooms.
Presently, there are no devices which enable the physician to have easy access to the oropharyngeal suction catheter during the course of an endoscopic procedure. The catheter is often inconveniently placed beyond the reach of the nurse and/or doctor or just forgotten. It is not an uncommon practice for nurses to place suction catheters in hard to reach locations, such as in their pockets, on IV pole receptacles, or under the patient's pillow. This practice causes considerable delay in applying suction to the oral cavity while the nurse or doctor turns to find the equipment and transport it to the endoscopic table. In fact, suction catheters are frequently dropped on the floor and reused by medical personnel due to the poor design of the catheters presently in use. Such lapses in technique can predispose susceptible individuals to pneumonia or exacerbations of their underlying disease states, such as coronary artery disease or chronic bronchitis. Further, patients who require, but do not receive, suctioning of the oropharynx, are much harder to sedate and may inappropriately receive more sedation, instead of the needed suctioning which can relieve them of the sensation of drowning in their own secretions. These problems are compounded by the fact that most suction catheters presently in use are connected to the suction source by transparent vinyl tubing which is difficult to see when lying against white hospital bedding in a dark room. Also, suction instruments currently in use contribute an irritating and distracting "hissing" noise to the working environment. This undesirable feature is eliminated by the catheter of the present invention by blocking air flow when the catheter is in the resting "off" mode
At the present time, routine endoscopic examinations of the bile and pancreatic ducts require simultaneous suctioning to two different areas: the patient's oral cavity and the endoscopic instrument itself. Although the endoscope is equipped with suctioning capabilities and controls, suctioning is not continuously needed during the course of a routine endoscopic procedure. It is clear that some of the suction force could be diverted by Y-tubing to an alternately closed/open system catheter devoted to oral cavity hygiene. Consequently, it is quite inconvenient and/or impractical in many settings, even in specialized areas of a hospital or GI units, to obtain dual suction capabilities, one of which is specially ear-marked for the patient's oropharynx.
To meet this need, the multiple suctioning system of the present invention is provided with a disposable detachable limb of Y-tubing which leads to the patient's oropharynx and a reusable limb of Y-tubing which connects with the umbilical cord or suction port of an endoscope or the like. The oral cavity suction catheter performs as a standard suction catheter, but remains in a non-suctioning mode when in the resting state. A spring-action catheter, clip-trigger or the like is provided on the surface of the catheter handle to allow the suctioning to be intermittently applied only when needed.
By remaining in the closed position much of the time, the catheter of the present invention allows suctioning to be by passed when not needed, thus producing continuous suction for the endoscope, where suctioning is most often needed. When it is necessary for the physician or operator to provide oral suctioning for several seconds, this brief lapse or decrease in suctioning to the endoscope would not be detrimental or inconvenient.